Photograph
by ddp456
Summary: An one-shot extended epilogue to "Roadside Attraction." Please leave as many reviews/comments/suggestions if you liked/disliked as you can. Thanks again


_Happy holidays! This is a small piece to warm your hearts while I chip away at some other story ideas. Hope you like!_

* * *

Wendy Corduroy hummed to herself as she sped through the thick timbers of the Gravity Falls Forest on her red bicycle. She took the long path from her family's cozy cabin nestled in the center of the woods to the opposite end, where the site of her employment, the Mystery Shack, lied in wait.

Usually, the fifteen-year-old would be in a rush to make it to work on time. Her daily morning ritual would consist of "accidentally" hitting the SNOOZE button on her alarm, waking up in a panic ten minutes later, only to struggle to find a clean pair of clothes while swiftly straitening her long red hair before dashing out the door without getting a bite to eat.

The last few days had been quite different. The Pines family had recently gone on a road trip to check out (and sabotage) the local tourist trap competition along the Oregon northwest, leaving Wendy in charge of their humble abode.

Never one to shy away from taking advantage of a good thing, the plucky teenager used her new-found-responsibilities to her benefit; her first official action was to flip the "OPEN" sign posted to "CLOSED – PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER!"

Wendy had spent her time wisely, switching between catching up on her reading to the occasional afternoon catnap. Granted, things would pick up as her friends would make several, unannounced visits in which they would treat the Mystery Shack as a home away from home. However, Wendy would make sure to stay on top of any mess made in an effort to avoid leaving any clues behind for her employer to find.

The only other person in the residence turned roadside attraction that would be able to indict her on any charges was the long-lost twin brother of her boss, Stanley Pines. Surprisingly, the elder appeared to care less about the condition of his surroundings, leaving Wendy to her own devices as he preferred to spend his days tolling away in the laboratory beneath the residence.

The only time that the two would see the other was by accident; each silently making their way around the unusually quiet dwelling, bumping into one another with a startled "BAH!" only to go about without further mention.

The single ounce of regret that the young ginger felt was from the fact that she wasn't able to share this extra free time with any of the Pines twins – especially Dipper, whom throughout the summer had become her official "partner in crime." Wendy sighed aloud as she continued to peddle towards her destination, knowing that it would only be a few days more before their misadventures would resume.

*SCRRECH*

"Oh, crap-crap-crap!"

Wendy skidded to a complete halt as she spotted a familiar sight in the driveway of the Mystery Shack. A ruined, decrepit brownish-grey RV covered in patches was parked mere yards away from the rotting house.

"They're back?! _Already?!"_ A wave of panic swelled in Wendy's chest. "Oh, man! I'd thought I'd have more time to straighten things up!" Her mind raced over the last few days, as she tried her best to remember if she had cleansed her workplace of all possible evidence of her unapproved visitors. Locking her bike to a nearby tree, Wendy began to work on a possible alibi when her green eyes widened at the sight before her.

The Shack was a complete mess! Layers of graffiti had been placed all over every aspect of the business, each message taking a pot-shot at her boss:

"STAN IS A HACK!"

"STAN IS A BUTT!"

"YOU STINK! YOU STINK!"

"GRANNY SWEETKINS SAYS 'EAT IT PINES!'"

"No way! Nuh-Uh!" Wendy shook her head in disbelief, "They couldn't have! I mean, the guys wouldn't – " Her thoughts went to her schoolmates, wondering if they had a hand in this vandalism; after all, marking stupid and lame messages was sort of their M.O. Wendy quickly changed her mind as she read the final message, "Hang a sec – _who in the heck is Granny Sweetkins?!"_

Beyond all of the spray-painted writing, the lanky girl noticed that the delinquent had also taken the time to purposely turn every sign on the building (including the "Gift Shop" one where she was stationed) upside down. Countless stands of thick, multi-colored yarn were wrapped around the Mystery Shack, as if someone had attempted to "TP" the small cabin with the fuzzy twine.

Strangest of all, an endless supply of golden-yellow maize filled the entire family entrance of the Mystery Shack. Ears of corn continuously flowed past the front door as well as both of the opened windows, reaching as high as the hole-covered ceiling of the living room.

Regardless of who or how this mess happened, Wendy was sure of one thing: _she was in charge when this occurred – therefore, she was going to be blamed for all of the damage here!_

Before Wendy could figure out a battle plan, the stout handyman, Soos, came around from the other end of the wrecked commerce. Carrying a boxful of cleaning supplies, the lovable man-child stopped whistling to himself as soon as he laid eyes on the cornered redhead.

"Ah, nuts! Busted!"

Thinking fast on her feet, Wendy forced an apologetic expression and approached her friend, going as much as putting her arm about his shoulder, "Soos! Soos! Thank – thank heavens you guys came back!" Her imagination spun at a fantastic rate, "You won't believe what happened! I was cleaning up when all of these crazy ninjas came and – "

"Oh, hiya, Wendy…" Soos greeted her, completely ignoring her attempt to redeem herself. He noticed that the girl was looking frantically back and forth between him and his beloved workplace. "Oh, yeah…" he chuckled, lifting a hand and using his thumb to highlight the damage, "Those other attraction owners really stuck it to Mr. Pines, huh?"

Wendy stepped back in shock, "Other attraction owners?"

"Yeah," he went on, "I mean, I knew that those guys would probably try to pay him back for all of the pranks he played on them, but I never thought they'd strike before we got home…"

"R-Really? What did Stan say about all this?"

"He was peeved off at first, but he's calmed down since, especially since I'm fixing things here!"

A sense of relief rushed through Wendy's super-tall frame. She was in the clear!

Wendy patted him on the shoulder affectionately, "Well, you let me know if you need a hand, okay?" Before Soos could even open his mouth, the slick teen power-walked as hastily as her gangly legs could carry her. Once out of sight, Wendy ducked behind the other end of the Mystery Shack and let out a sigh as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Phew!"

After taking a second to relax, a series of familiar voices stemmed from around the other edge of the house.

"I – I don't know, Mabel. Do I really have to do this?"

"Yeah, you do, Dipper! You have to get this monkey off your back one way or another!"

"Hey!" Wendy thought to herself, "It's the guys!" She crept over to the rim of the building and spotted her co-workers, the Pines twins standing in the distance in front of an unfasten trash can. Dipper was holding a bent-up brown box close to his chest as Mabel pointed towards the opening.

Judging by the serious looks on the twelve-year-olds' faces, Wendy chose to remain hidden in the shadows, unsure if she should interrupt what was unfolding before her eyes.

"C'mon, Dipper!" Mabel encouraged further, motioning her hand into the garbage, "You'll feel a lot better after it's all over with!"

His noodle-arms shook violently as a sense of discomfort spread across his pie face. Slowly, he raised the box over the top of the trash can and turned his head away in uncertainty. He bit his lip and closed his eyes as his internal tremors worsened.

"DIPPER!"

With that last shout, Dipper let the package slip from his fingertips, having it land into the top of the garbage with a soft *SQUISH!* He opened his brown eyes as a shade of guilt formed over his being. He looked downwards in disappointment at his former possession, almost like he had betrayed a good friend.

"There!" Mabel exclaimed, giving her younger twin a hearty pat on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Doesn't that feel so much better?"

Dipper hung his head lower, "No," he answered, shaking his head slightly, "Not really."

"But it will! I swear it will!" Mabel threw her sweater-covered arm around her sibling as they walked back towards the Gift Shop entrance, "Believe me, Dip, I've been there, so I know all about this kinda stuff…"

As soon as their voices were out of hearing range, Wendy stepped away from her hiding place, "Man, I wonder what that was all about?" It had been a very long time since she had seen Dipper that upset. Having her curiosity get the best of her, the lumberjack princess headed towards the site of the commotion. She laughed "Maybe Mabel finally convinced him to get rid of all of his _Monstermon_ trading cards…probably could have just sold them for a bundle though…"

The side of the brown box had been labeled in white writing – DO NOT TOUCH! Wendy undid the thin string that bound the two halves together and removed the top half. Peering inside of the package to see its contents, the smile was instantly swiped off her dimpled face as she realized what was inside.

"…Whoa…it's _me_!"

There were dozens of pictures and snapshots of _her_ ; removing her helmet after arriving at work; with her nose stuck in the newest teen-fiction-novel as she relaxed with her muddy boots hanging over the Gift Shop countertop; having her arms filled with Mystery Shack junk as she carried it from shelf to shelf. It wasn't until Wendy came across a picture of her making a purposely-goofy face, complete with crossed eyes, tongue sticking out, and hands affixed to the sides of her head in a moose-like fashion, that things suddenly became familiar.

"Wait a sec…" She remembered posing for that exact shot. "Dipper took all of these photos!" She dug through the pile until she reached the very bottom, where a selfie pic of her and her little guy wrapped arm in arm lied hidden away from the world next to a series of crumpled notes written on yellow paper.

"I – I don't get it…" Wendy looked through the photos again and again, trying to make sense of her discovery. "Why would he throw all of this away? And why did Mabel egg him on to do so?" The teenager tried her best to remember if Dipper seemed any different before he went on the trip with his family. To her, the boy was still his adventurous, yet incredible dorky self. Granted, he did have the occasional lapse into nervousness and stuttering in her presence, but ever since their talk in the woods a few weeks earlier, Dipper had made great strides towards easing into a calm state more often than naught.

Her thoughts switched towards the worst possible scenario, "What if he's mad at me over something? But what?" As melodramatic as it sounded, Wendy couldn't help but to look at the still-frames of her past self and feel like _her buddy was throwing her away as well_.

Wendy shook away all of the doubts. She was late enough for work without wasting extra time on the "what ifs" of the world. The girl rescued the box from its new home, tucked it beneath her left arm, and walked into the Gift Shop Entrance.

* * *

The bell hung over the doorway rang as Wendy opened the door leading into the Mystery Shack's Gift Shop.

"Wen-Wen!"

Mabel glanced up briefly to greet her friend before returning to her sweeping duties; a few brittles of corn had stumbled into the humble shop by accident. She didn't notice what the cashier held in her grasp. "So, didya miss us? How was it here all by yourself?"

"It was…" Wendy hesitated for a moment as she placed Dipper's box on top of her counter, "…different…" To her, it was somewhat nice to spend a few days without any trace of utter weirdness or the supernatural, at the same time, the constant boredom made the hyper-active adolescent yearn for a surprise adventure or two.

"But yeah, you could say I missed having you dorks around..." Sitting down on her stool, Wendy leaned her back against the wall and placed her feet on the desk, resuming where she had left off in her newest teen magazine.

"Where's Dip?"

"Oh, he's off doing some science-y thing with Grunkle Ford and –"

All of a sudden, Mabel stopped cold in her tracks upon seeing what had reappeared on Wendy's counter. She let the broom slip from her fingertips as she tossed her head back, brown eyes rolling in disbelief, releasing a miserable moan from the pit of her stomach.

The noise made Wendy lift her eyes from her tabloid, "What's the matter?"

"THAT!" Her pint-sized friend pointed that the container recently fished from the trash. "How in the hey did this thing get back inside?" She chalked it up to the actions of her ever-so-crafty twin brother. Mabel went to seize the box, "Sorry about that, Wendy. I'll get this out of your way…"

"Actually…" Wendy stretched a dirty boot in front of the carton, "I was going to ask you guys about that." She sat upright, making sure to make slight revisions to her story to avoid incriminating herself, "I saw this sticking out of the garbage when I was parking my bike. I looked inside and there are all of these pictures of Dipper and me! Do you know why he would want to get rid of all this?"

"Um…" Mabel scratched the back of her head as her courage dried up, seeing the concern oozing from her older friend. Before she could reply, Soos walked into the Gift Shop and let out a small chuckle.

"Dudes, I dunno about you, but I don't wanna see another piece of corn for…"

His voice trailed off as soon as noticed the serious tone of the two girls in front of him. Before he had a chance to figure out what was happening, his sights set upon the infamous marked box placed on the Gift Shop counter.

"Ugh!" As was the case with Mabel, Soos pulled back in disgust and released a disappointed groan.

"What?!" Wendy asked, her patience wearing thin. " _You're_ in on this, too?!" She stood up and drew attention to the object with her hand, "Just what is the big deal about this thing?"

Mabel and Soos looked at each other for a brief moment before returning their attention to Wendy. "It's nothing, really, Wendy," she tried to explain briefly. "It's just something that we helped Dipper take care of."

"Yep!" Soos nodded along with Mabel's answer, "Definitely did you a solid…"

"Really?" Wendy crossed her arms, "And what exactly was that?"

Again, the two conspirators traded glances before trying to offer up an acceptable answer.

"Well, uh…Wendy," Mabel started again, shuffling her hands in an effort to find the right words, "Don't – Don't you think it's…you know, kinda _creepy_ that Dipper keeps all those pictures of you around?"

"No; not really…" The freckled-faced girl knew that Dipper always carried around a camera due to his paranormal pursuits, but usually, it would mostly end up being used in their own misadventures. Wendy could easily recall willingly posing for several of the snapshots found in the collection. And all of her other friends wouldn't be able to go five minutes without using the camera function on their smartphones. Why were they acting like they caught Dipper doing something horrid, like taking pictures of her in the shower or on the toilet?

"Oh…."

"Well, then, I…"

"Look, guys," Wendy placed her palms on the counter as she bent over, "Did something happen to Dipper while you were away on that trip? And what does the box have to do with it?"

Mabel took a deep breath, "It's not a big deal, but if you want really to know, we found out about all that stuff when we were packing for our road trip."

"Wait," Wendy's brow lowered, "So, Dipper was going to bring this whole thing with him?" She started to blush slightly, questioning if he did so to carry along the one thing he'd cherished most of this sleepy mountain town…

…at least, that was the reason that she hoped for.

"Nah," Mabel answered without a sense of hesitation, "I found it hidden away beneath Dipper's bed."

"Hmm…" Wendy played along, "Between that and the "DO NOT TOUCH" note on it, you'd think that Dipper wouldn't want anyone messing with it."

Mabel shrugged without a hint of regret.

Soos picked up where she left off, "All we were saying is that it isn't the healthiest thing for the little dude to be doing…" He paused for a moment, "…especially with everything that happened between you and him…"

"That happened with us?" Wendy repeated.

"You know…" Mabel hinted. "What happened out in the woods?"

"In the B-U-C-K-E-R?" Soos misspelled.

"Huh?" Wendy's voice rose, "Dipper told you about that?"

"Well…"

"If you consider us circling around and spying from the bushes "him telling us…"

"SOOS!" Mabel promptly elbowed the stout adult in the gut.

As humiliated as Wendy felt at the moment, she could only imagine how embarrassed Dipper grew every time these two brought this up. And worse of all, they thought that by doing so, _they were actually doing her some sort of favor._

"So, let me get this straight…" Wendy demanded, "Ignoring the fact that you guys feel it's okay to invade his privacy, you believe that because Dipper and I don't date, he should take everything relating to me and toss it in the trash?"

The stern query created a long series of "Ooh's" and "Umm's" between the two suspected co-workers.

"Look," Wendy started to scale herself back, "I know you were trying to help – at least I'd like to think you wanted to help, but maybe _that kind of help_ shouldn't come from you two…"

Mabel seemed somewhat miffed by Wendy's suggestion, "And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"I mean," Wendy started to elucidate, part of her somewhat satisfied to give some just desserts in her best friend's name, "You and Soos don't exactly have the best experience relationship-wise…"

"Says the girl one evil-ex-boyfriend short of an entire league!" Mabel shot back.

"Now, hang on!" Wendy held her hands up. "I'm not making fun or anything; I'm being serious!" She opened her hand towards the tiny sprite, "Like Mabel, from the first second you came to Gravity Falls, you went boy-crazy over any guy you'd come into contact with."

"PFFT!" Mabel waved away the accusation, "I wasn't that bad…"

"Really?" Wendy began to count away on her fingertips, "You had the mattress king, the turtle boy, the kid that turned out to a group of gnomes in disguise, the fish guy…"

"Mermando…" Mabel sighed, her sights shifted to the empty display tank across the room, where a decomposed "real" merman creature was positioned for all eternity.

"…that weirdo puppet-loving freak, and…"

"Okay, okay, I get it!" Mabel interrupted. "But you have to admit, I've gotten better with the whole male thing! Especially after…"

She started to slow down as she came a realization, "… _I got some really good advice_ …"

Wendy lowered her eyes and nodded, "You're welcome…"

"But what about me?" Soos asked, feeling left out of the conversation, "My long-distance relationship with Melody is still going great! Heck, dude, I'd say we're a step away from being "million-dollar-strong!""

"Yeah, but no offense, Soos," Wendy went on, "Before Melody came along, I couldn't remember seeing you talk to another woman, besides Mabel, me, and your Abuelita ."

"That may be so, but…"

*BEEP-BEEP! BEEP-BEEP!*

Soos raised his arm to look at the alarm going off on his wristwatch. Turning it off, he clarified, "Sorry, dudes, but I gotta go! I'm going to be late for my cyber-chat with Melody!" Without further ado, he took off towards the living room entrance on the way to his dedicated break room, nearly running down his elderly boss along the way.

"Huh…" Mabel looked back at Wendy, "That was awfully convenient"

She lifted her shoulders, "Ah, it works for him. But like I was saying, Mabel: everyone is different when it comes to this kinda thing. So, maybe you guys shouldn't be bugging Dipper about this stuff."

"I absolutely agree!"

"Grunkle" Stan Pines appeared from behind the swinging door leading into the Gift Shop. "That's why the kid wised up and decided to learn at the feet of the master while we were on the road!"

Wendy's face fell as a sickening feeling grew in her gut. "Oh, no," she griped, "Learn "what" exactly?"

"Why, how to be a little heartbreaker, of course!" He prided upon himself with a thumbs-up and a toothy grin. "I tell you, Wendy, that boy was literally swatting the girls away from him with a stick before leaving 'em in the dust." Stan stopped to wipe a tear away from his eye, "Makes an old man proud…"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…" Wendy simply couldn't picture the sensitive little guy that trailed behind her all summer long doing anything close to what Stan would consider to be ordinary. Listening to all the "advice" that the Pines family had offered her admirer made her want to yank at her hair in frustration. "How could you say that to Dipper?"

"Why do you care?"

"What?" Wendy found herself startled by Stan's question.

"I said," he repeated, "Why do you even care? It's not your problem, right?"

The redhead was at a loss for words, "Yeah, but…I mean, that he's…"

"Exactly! Now, if you don't mind…" Stan pointed at the front room door as he shouted, "I'm up to ears in "ears," so get off your keisters and get going with that clean-up, eh?! And tell Soos the same once he gets off that blasted computer-phone thing!"

Defeated, Wendy pushed herself away from the desk and rose to her feet. Taking one last glance at the box that started the whole mess, she followed Mabel into the family room to straighten up yet another disaster she had no part in…

* * *

Later that day, after the Mystery Shack had closed, Wendy sat on the back porch, with one hand holding up her chin and the other against the infernal box that troubled her conscience all day long. Akin to having a ball and chain around her ankle, the disregarded keepsake had been carried around everywhere that the confused girl went, in fear that one of her friends would tire of its presence and throw it away again.

"Oy, again with that thing!"

Wendy turned around to see Stan standing in the doorway; an ice-cold can of Pitt Cola in each hand. He took a seat next to her and offered her a drink, "It really does bother you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Wendy answered sadly, taking a can and popping the top, "And you're right – it really shouldn't, but it still does. I mean, I just thought _I_ – I thought _all of this_ was important to him…" She took a sip of the soda.

"Of course it is!" Stan reassured, "You know he cares about you, and he knows you care about him..."

"I do, but…" Her head drooped further, "…it's complicated…"

"Hmm…" the old man rubbed the grains of his beard as he pondered the situation further. "You know – that's another thing, too."

Wendy let out a quiet burp before speaking, "What is?"

"I think that a lot of people tend to forget that even though you can meet adults eye-to-eye, that deep down, you're still a little guy…er…gal yourself."

She raised her sights, "I don't…I don't understand…"

"Let me put it like this," Stan leaned back against the steps, "It was only a few years ago when I first met a certain young lady with fiery red hair. But back then, I don't think she even understood what it meant to be "cool" or "hip" or whatever you kids call "it" these days. She had messy pigtails at the back of her head, and these really painful-looking braces affixed to her teeth. She felt all alone and angry at the world, and even the simplest thing would drive pink with embarrassment…"

"Yep," Wendy bemoaned, taking another swig of Pitt Cola, "I definitely know that chick…"

"Well," the elder twisted his empty can against the wood paneling, "Sometimes, I remember that little girl, and it makes me laugh when I think about how a certain little know-it-all egghead reminds me of her…"

"WHAT?! Oh, don't do – " Wendy panicked, nearly dropping her beverage in the process, "Dude, you can't compare Dipper to me! He deserves so-o-o-o much better than that!"

"Eh, kid," Stan chortled at the teenager freaking out in front of him, "You may not be able to see it, but trust me when I say I sure do." He took his can and childishly crushed it against his forehead. "And that's the point I'm trying to make: _what would that same twelve-year-old Wendy want in that case?"_

Wendy was flabbergasted by Stan's unfound sage-wisdom. " _Whoa_ ," she thought to herself. " _He actually gave good advice!_ "

Before Wendy could say anything, Mr. Mystery stood up, brushed himself and started towards the door. He paused and looked over his shoulder, "And just so you know, you don't have to worry about "mean ol' Stan" warping that little runt's mind. By the time we got home, he had forsaken everything I taught him, especially after what had happened…"

"Really?" Wendy asked with a half-laugh lingering in her voice, "And what was that?"

"I was cocooned and nearly devoured alive by a demonic spider-woman. 'Nuff said."

"Ouch!" Wendy sympathized, "Sorry about that; on both counts."

He shrugged, "I've had worse. Just do me a favor, won't you, kid?"

Wendy nodded, "Sure, Stan. What is it?"

He pointed at Dipper's box, "Just take that cockamamie thing home and keep it there! It's making the whole Shack reek of garbage juice!"

She giggled as the rough exterior of the old man came back with a vengeance, "You got it..."

"And don't you dare show up late tomorrow morning either!" The screen door slammed loudly behind him.

"'Night, boss…"

* * *

Wendy spent the remainder of the evening lounging around on her handcrafted bed. Reflecting heavily on Stan's words, she started up at the ceiling, trying to pick her brain on what to do with Dipper's former possessions.

"Stan said to try to remember how it was at Dipper's age…"

She reached over off the edge of the bed and into the crumpled box, plucking a selection of photos from their resting place. Holding them over her head, Wendy crossed her legs and shuffled through the assortment. A thin smile soon formed as she came across the images of Dipper and her together. The wide grin plastered on his face made Wendy question if that was the happiest she had ever seen her friend.

"I dunno," she reflected, "He was pretty excited when he took all of those other photos, too; even the ones when I made goofy faces back at him…" Coincidentally, Wendy came across the shot of her giving a crooked-eye, silly, long-tongued expression.

"It's because it's _me_ …"

She went on through the photos as the realization deepened, " _It's because I listen to his rants. I don't make fun of the way he is, or act like I'm better than him. He knows I'm always there to help him on his adventures, and he's never afraid to do something crazy with me because if something bad happens, we'll get through it together. If it were any other person, Dipper would lose his mind, but he doesn't…"_

 _"…because it's me…"_

Wendy stopped as she finally found her answer: _this was the one thing that a twelve year old Dipper Pines had that a twelve year old Wendy Corduroy didn't!_

She lowered her head against the mass of crimson hair being used as a makeshift pillow, "And now, it seems like the whole world pokes fun and takes shots at the kid for trying to hang on to that…"

Wendy knew there was no possible way that Dipper would want to forget about her or any of the fun times they shared. If anything, she figured that he was probably walking about town with a guilt-ridden hole in his heart, ashamed of his forced actions earlier that day.

"But what can I do about it?"

From out of the corner of her eye, Wendy spotted something peeking out of her doorway. Her youngest brother had silently crept into her bedroom.

"Hey!" she shouted. "What do you think you're doing in here? You ever hear of a little thing called "knocking?"

The tiniest lumberjack froze up like a deer caught in upcoming headlights. Wendy noticed a pair of familiar looking mud-stained boots in his hands. "Dude, are those mine?"

Left without any other choice, the baby Corduroy answered, "Yeah…"

Wendy had no idea that they were even missing, as she preferred to traverse the drafty cabin in her plaid stocking feet. "And why do you have them?"

"You see," her sibling began to explain, "The guys and I found this really nasty spider nest outside, and we needed something to squish them up good…"

Wendy let out a disgusted cry, "And the best thing you three came up with were my shoes?!"

He lifted his shoulders, "Well, we weren't going to use _ours_ …"

"You little – "

"What's that?!" the boy asked teasingly, "Looking at pictures of your _boyfriend_?"

Wendy sat up right, snatched up her yearbook besides her bunk, and hurled it in her brother's direction. He promptly ducked behind the door, running down the hall as he shouted, "Dad! Wendy threw something at me!"

The young adult dove backwards onto her bed without fear as she already knew the truth. Her father was nowhere close to home, deciding to spend the majority of his free time at the Broken Skull bar.

"Okay, I get it, Stan…" she said under her breath, "Dipper _is_ like me in some ways. We both constantly have our privacy invaded by family who could care less about our feelings. They'll always see us as dorks that can be messed with and pushed around…" Wendy also thought about how she could never even begin to explain to her other friends about her recent bizarre encounters without being laughed off the face of the earth.

She turned away from the pine-tree-shaped marks on her comforter and looked up at her headboard marked with a "W," towards the assortment of pictures attached to the wooden frame. Among them were several escapades with her friends from school and around town, from their famed pranks to attending various concerts; cherished memories that came only recently in her young life.

At the very top of the heap, was a photo dear to her heart. Inside the snapshot, the smirking face of Dipper Pines beamed down on Wendy. With the rim of his trademark Pine Tree cap casting a slight shadow over his front, he offered a tiny wave towards his not-so-secret crush.

Wendy thought about the frame; of how many times she had woken up early throughout the summer, without any ambition to make it to work, yet alone drag herself out of bed. Still, it wasn't as she had a choice in the matter, as her dad threatened either this or being sent upstairs to work at her cousin's logging camp.

Things at the Mystery Shack were the same mundane thing day in and day out, almost to the point that Wendy couldn't take it anymore.

 _That was until they came…_

Life became much more interesting when the Pines twins arrived in town. While Wendy was able to easily become friends with Mabel, it couldn't even compare to the bond she formed with Dipper. Since their ghostly instance at the abandoned Dusk2Dawn, they had become nearly inseparable, sharing in discovering new exploits and planning innovative practical jokes and tricks, only to relax every other night with a cheesy B-movie together.

Wendy stared at the mounted photo, her absolute favorite of those she had of her cherished cohort. Thinking about how much such a simple treasure did for her day in and day out, she couldn't imagine someone wanting to take that away from her.

"If only I could do the same for him somehow…"

The ginger rose up almost like she was struck by lightning. With an idea fresh in her head, she reached over to her dresser and unplugged her cell phone from its charger. She flipped it opened and selected a number from her contacts list.

"Hey, Mabel? It's Wendy. Listen, sorry to call you so late, but I need your help with something…"

* * *

"Man, what a day!"

Dipper Pines stretched his noodle arms over his head as he let out a long yawn. Ever since he had returned from the road trip, his other "Grunkle," Ford, had required his assistance with his experiments over the last day or so.

From dawn to dusk, the little detective had been helping in recording research and acting as a second pair of hands in Ford's secret laboratory beneath the Mystery Shack, leaving him little time for any other extracurricular activity. As bad as he felt about not spending a lot of time with Mabel or Soos recently, it didn't compare to the guilt that weighed heavily when his thoughts turned to his redhead sweetheart.

Taking Mabel's advice had done little to provide Dipper relief. He was remorseful for listening to his sibling's insistence to rid himself of any memento relating to Wendy. If anything, the seemingly-harsh action made Dipper feel _worse_.

"Oh, why did I listen to her?" he grumbled as he sloshed his way up the stairs leading to the attic-converted bedroom that he shared with his twin. A treasure-trove of summertime memories gone in an instance, all in thanks to some horrible advice; or to be precise, because the pre-teen simply couldn't deal with all of the unresolved feelings lingering within.

Even more so – it was an action that couldn't be taken back – fate had seen to that. Dipper had crept back to the same trash can later that day, only to discover that the contents inside had already been removed. The only keepsake he would have of Wendy was whatever lied within Mabel's scrapbooks; he let out another sigh, knowing it unlikely that she share such things freely.

Dipper opened the door and gasped aloud. The accused box that had haunted his mind was now sitting on his orange covered bed. He carefully stepped forward, still somewhat in disbelief of what was set before him. He poked the package, almost expecting it to come alive and take its revenge for being disposed of. Oddly enough, the boy thought the container would smell like garbage; instead, he could have sworn to sense a light perfume of some type.

"Huh?"

He noticed that the covering shifted upon touching it. A long, blue ridge peeked out of the top. With his nervousness quelling, Dipper took a hold of the item and slowly pulled it out of the box.

"What…is this?!"

In his hands, Dipper held a thick, metallic blue craft book. It reminded him of the ones that his sister created all throughout the summer in order to preserve her favorite moments. The front cover had a label made up of what appeared to be adhered, misshapen newspaper and magazine clippings.

"PARTNERS IN CRIME…" Dipper read aloud as he ran his hand over the pine tree marker placed in between the wording. The symbol almost felt like fabric; he noticed that there were tiny holes along the sides of the tree, as _like it had been torn away from something else_.

Dipper went to open the mysterious tome, only to discover that it wouldn't budge. A large strap had been wrapped around the entire text, ending with a key-shaped hole on the right side of the book, preventing it from being opened.

After a few more attempts, Dipper set the book down on the bed as he tried to figure out how to pry it open. His eyes shifted to the box that previously held all of his Wendy photos. Growing ever more curious, he knelt over and gazed into the inside of the carton.

At the very bottom, he spotted a little silver key. A simple string that been tied around the loop at the top, making it resemble a sort of makeshift necklace. Dipper hoisted it up with tender care, wondering if this was the answer to his current dilemma.

Biting down on his lip, he inserted the key into the lock and carefully twisted it…

*CLICK!*

The strap released, allowing Dipper to explore the contents of the book. He turned the page, his eyes watering as soon as he noticed the familiar, messily-handwritten text on the inside cover:

 _"For my dork,_

 _Sorry if the key-thing seems a bit dramatic, but hey, we have to make this baby Mabel and Soos-proof, right?_

 _Hope you like what you see."_

Dipper looked over to the next page to see that his favorite photo, the image of Wendy and him in each other's arms had been carefully lined behind a clear sheet. A small dictation in her chicken-scratch had been placed beneath it:

 _"Man, what a bunch of dweebs, huh?"_

He went out through the pages, only to be stunned by what lied ahead. _Every_ photo that he had foolishly rid himself of that been restored to their former glory – only this time, every memory came complete with a smart-aleck commentary from his main squeeze.

" _I wonder whose hand that is? Or whose butt for that matter…"_

 _"They always said that if I kept making silly faces like this, that I would stay like this forever. Totally proved them wrong. I was only stuck like that for an hour or two…"_

 _"Wow, it looks like I have a little stalker on my hands…nope, it's just some dork with a camera…"_

Dipper chuckled at each line, eventually coming across several sets of photos that he didn't take.

"Wait, I know this! It's from that love-fest thing!"

The photo had Wendy donning a low cut hipster outfit bending down and throwing a bare arm around her shorten friend as they both grinned and gave off peace signs with their fingers. Mabel, Tambry, Thompson, Lee, and Nate stood behind them just as excited as Robbie crossed his arms and pouted at the edge of the frame.

 _"The little guy's first official rock concert!"_

The next page was from the twins' first Summerween earlier that summer. Dipper and Mabel were dressed in respective peanut butter and jelly outfits while Wendy stood between them, wearing a golden yellow blouse, multi-layered blue and grey skirt, and polished black cowboy boots.

 _"Peanut Butter and Jelly time! With a dash of red spice tossed in for good measure…"_

Dipper went on with exploring his gift; the following image made him question, "How the…how did she get this one?"

A long, horizontal picture was glued onto the page. However, it wasn't a photograph created by Wendy, Mabel, or himself. Marked at the top with bold, black lettering, "PROPERTY OF THE GRAVITY FALLS PCPD," the piece showed a monotone colored Wendy and Dipper banged up and slightly injured; results of a prank that went way too far. Standing against a backdrop that displayed their individual heights, each adolescent displayed a smug frown as they were forced to hold up a series of numbers placed on a piece of cardboard.

 _"Just don't tell your parents about this one, okay?"_

Dipper let out a snort, "At least Stan bribed the cops to get it expunged from our records." The child shuddered at all of the nasty and ghastly favors and chores the duo had to do for the old man in order to make it up to him.

He turned the page, only to let the book slip out of his stubby hands. Dipper had to do to a double-take to ensure he wasn't seeing things.

Wendy sat in her elevated lifeguard chair, wearing an one-piece red bikini. The sun reflected off of the metal whistle that was around her neck. With her long red hair slightly damped, she clutched a green water balloon in her right hand as she feigned a barefooted kick towards him.

A smaller depiction of Dipper had been placed right next to her. Sporting a thin white T-shirt and shorts, the tiny tween proudly held his new whistle on his left hand as he pointed to it with the other.

"But wait…" he asked, "We didn't take any photos while we were at the pool! So, how…"

Dipper noticed that a message had been written in permanent marker on the bottom of each print:

"BANNED FOR LIFE FROM THE GRAVITY FALLS POOL"

"Oh my gosh!" Dipper couldn't believe it. "Wendy stole these from the "banned board" at the pool!"

 _"Sun, fun, and the best assistant lifeguard ever! What more could a girl ask for?"_

He reached the halfway point of his book, only to realize that he was on the last, filled-out page.

"Wait, what?" Dipper sped through the remaining pages, discovering that they had been left blank. Confused, he returned to his bookmarked spot to find another note from Wendy:

 _"Relax, doofus. I didn't cheap out on you._

 _From the way I see it, this is only the start of a huge and exciting story that you and I have to finish."_

A newly-taken photograph of Wendy was fastened in between the paragraphs. As she stood in the Gift Shop of the Mystery Shack, the ginger held up one of Stan's cheaply made calendars and pointed to the day that summer would start the following year.

 _"And don't you dare even think about ditching me next year! Or else…"_

Another snapshot was included, showing her with a forced-angry expression, pointing the edge of her freshly-sharpen axe in his direction.

 _"Just kidding! But, seriously, things just wouldn't be the same without you._

 _I know it's not much, but let's call this my way of saying thank you for making this the best summer I've ever had…_

 _Love,  
Wendy."_

Dipper closed the book and held it tightly against his chest. He wiped the small gathering of tears away from his brown eyes. Filled with an incalculable amount of gratitude, the undersized detective wanted nothing more than to find the high-schooler and let her know how much this small act meant to him.

Little did he know, that she was _already_ well aware…

Watching silently from a barely-cracked-open doorway, Wendy could only smile at seeing her young charge come back to life as he re-examined his new gift over and over again.

"You're more than welcome, buddy," she whispered, knowing that he wouldn't hear her anyways.

Wendy took her leave, making sure to avoid any cracks or moaning floorboards that would alert Dipper of her presence. Gliding down the rickety staircase and making her way towards home, she stuck her hands in her pockets and lightly whistled a tune, satisfied that she was able to help Dipper fill that inner peace that she herself had yearned for at his age not so long ago…


End file.
